We love to be entertained. In the US, travel, entertainment, and recreation industries are finally reaching pre-pandemic levels of popularity, according to the US Census Bureau. Meanwhile, Statista predicts the global entertainment industry will grow 8.5% a year, to a whopping $61.7 billion by 2029.
This means now might be a good time to start an entertainment business. Here are some ideas to consider if you’re thinking you might like to get in on the fun while earning income.
Why start an entertainment business?
If you love being the wizard behind a great party, the entertainment business may be right for you. It’s well-suited for high-energy people who enjoy creating delightful experiences. Your job is to utilize your entrepreneurial spirit to bring happiness to others.
The entertainment industry also offers more opportunities for pursuing your creativity and passions than a regular corporate gig. It tends to attract creative individuals who aren’t afraid of an unconventional schedule or the unpredictability of a business that thrives on fun. And there’s potential for growth through franchising, adding new locations, and expanding your specialty offerings.
Events-based businesses
If you like the sounds and lights of the stage, you can start a business supporting performers.
Event promotion
Event promoters manage everything from venue logistics to ticket sales and artist marketing. You can launch a concert or show promotion business by connecting artists to venues and managing ticket sales. Offering VIP upgrades, merchandise, or bundled experiences can add extra revenue.
Event venue
Building an events venue likely requires a fair amount of upfront investment, but can bring in recurring ticket and food and drink sales. You can create an all-purpose events space hosting shows of all kinds, or one focusing on niche categories, like a comedy club or concert hall. If you’re not ready to invest in your own space, you can team up with an existing venue like a bar or restaurant to build out their under-utilized rooms for live events.
Games and activities-based businesses
- Laser tag
- Escape room
- Trivia night
- Miniature golf course
- Trampoline park
- Indoor playground
- Board game business
- Rage rooms
- Axe-throwing
- Archery range
Family entertainment centers, trampoline parks, escape rooms: games and activities aren’t just for kids. You can create interactive spaces for people of all ages, or host events and sell products that facilitate play.
Laser tag
Laser tag venues can have private rooms and open play spaces, making them suitable for big groups and individuals alike. This is particularly useful if you want to attract an older target audience that doesn’t want to share a room with small children. You can also combine laser tag with other offerings, like Maziply Toys, which is a toy store with a laser tag space and a mirror maze.
Escape room
Escape rooms require you to solve puzzles and mysteries to escape a locked room, making them a good team-building exercise for friends, families, and corporate gatherings. Time slot bookings, gift cards, and themed room updates can all live on your site.
Trivia night
Trivia nights are a low-overhead way to bring people together—and not just at bars. Companies like The Quizmasters have built businesses around live and virtual trivia events, with custom questions, hosted games, and DIY quiz kits.
Miniature golf course
Mini golf appeals to many different age groups. Go beyond being a place to putt by adding in creative décor and challenging holes. Mini golf ranges often offer food and drinks, and make for good party or event spaces for birthdays and company events.
Trampoline park
Trampoline parks are a ton of fun for kids, teens, and adults. These venues often attract group bookings and birthday parties. Before you get started, make sure you meet all safety standards and get entertainment insurance to protect your customers and your business.
Indoor playground
An indoor playground can quickly become the go-to spot for hosting birthday parties during unpredictable weather, and a place for kids to get their wiggles out all year long. Selling timed passes helps keep customers moving, and add-ons like beverages and snacks or enrichment classes can add an extra revenue stream.
Board game business
You can build a business by selling curated board games or creating your own, like Thames & Kosmos, an online store that allows you to filter by game categories and age ranges, and access how-to-play content.
Rage rooms
A rage room lets guests safely smash bottles, obsolete electronics, or old furniture in a safe and controlled environment. This venue, by Carried Away Outfitters, also offers splatter rooms and axe throwing.
Axe-throwing
Axe-throwing venues like Lumberjaxe host memorable experiences. You’ll need to invest in insurance and safety equipment, and build out alleys or lanes for this novel activity. In addition to these startup costs, go the extra mile with a robust website that lets customers book lanes, order merchandise, and plan events directly on the site.
Archery range
There’s a wide target market for archery—it’s suitable entertainment for older kids and adults, for parties, for serious sporting enthusiasts, and pretty much everyone in between. Generate buzz with archery leagues and themed events to draw in customers or host festivals or fairs that play into the historic nature of the activity.
Mobile businesses
- Mobile DJ business
- Party bus
- Video arcade or game truck
- Mobile virtual and augmented reality business
- Tour guide
If you don’t want to sign the lease for a brick-and-mortar business, you can take your show on the road with a mobile business.
Mobile DJ
Bring the party to weddings, school dances, and corporate events as a mobile DJ. You can also add an online component to your business, selling curated playlists and custom audio mixes.
Party bus
A party bus business combines transportation with event experiences. Guests book your bus to travel around town for birthdays, weddings, and bachelorette parties. Some, like the Chiva Party Bus, transport riders to famous sights and finish at a local nightclub.
Video arcade or game truck
A game truck business typically involves building out a large truck, customized with arcade game machines, that you can pull up to homes and offices. Build out themed packages, like retro arcade night or esports tournaments, creating offerings based on the ages and interests of your target audience.
Mobile virtual and augmented reality business
With the tech for virtual reality experiences more accessible than ever, offering immersive digital experiences can be a profitable niche. You can offer portable setups for parties and corporate events—the equipment can be fairly light and doesn’t require a special truck or customized spaces.
Tour guide
If you live in an area with a lot of tourism, running your own walking, boat, rail, or bus tour business can help visitors discover the best your region has to offer. You can offer nature and history-focused tours, like Wild Kerry Tours in Ireland, or focus on popular twists on the classics, like food tours or ghost tours.
Audio-visual businesses
If your expertise is behind the scenes or behind a camera, these audio-visual entertainment business ideas might be the right path for you:
Video production
Help individuals, influencers, or local businesses with their digital marketing by producing short videos. Developing an area of expertise, such as social media video content or wedding videography, can help you build credibility and clientele in your field. You can productize your service to create fixed packages for potential customers to choose from.
Studio rentals
If you want to support artists in their endeavors, you can do so by setting up a recording studio.
Voice + Video, for example, rents studio space and equipment and does custom installations for film and podcast creators.
Entertainment business models
You can use a mix of different models to make money in the entertainment sector. Some common monetization strategies include:
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Ticket sales. If you host a comedy club or run tours, you can sell tickets, both in advance and at the door, for one-time events.
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Rentals. If your business involves others using your space or equipment, you can rent it by the hour, day, or even long term (for example, renting a recording space for a long-running podcast).
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Hourly or per-activity rates. Escape rooms, laser tag rooms, archery ranges, trampoline parks, and a host of other activity-based businesses have customers pay by time spent or per activity. If activities are short (say at an arcade), you can sell tickets customers can buy in multiples.
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Add-on services. Selling food, drinks, and merch can be lucrative add-ons that bring in significant revenue. Make it easy for customers to pay both online and in person with an easy-to-use booking website and a secure point-of-sale (POS) system.
Entertainment business ideas FAQ
What is the most profitable business in entertainment?
Many entertainment businesses can be profitable. You can create a venue for an activity-based business, like an arcade or indoor playground, or take your show on the road with a party bus or historic tour.
How can I start my own entertainment business?
Starting an entertainment business is like starting any business. You need to conduct market research to determine what type of business to open, find your target audience, put together a business plan, procure a space, get insurance and licenses, and figure out pricing and marketing strategies to bring in customers.
What business structure is best for a startup entertainment company?
The business structure you choose will depend on the type of business you run. For example, sole proprietorships and general partnerships are unincorporated entities, meaning that there’s no legal distinction between the owner and the business. Without this distinction, the owner is personally responsible for the business’s losses, debts, and liabilities. A limited liability company (LLC) is an incorporated business, which means your business and personal assets are separate.
